Hinton St Mary

Hinton St Mary is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on a low limestone ridge beside the River Stour, one mile north of the market town Sturminster Newton. The village has a population of 221. Within the village there is St Peters Church, The White Horse Inn and a cricket pitch which is home to the Hinton and Sturminster Newton Cricket club.

Roman mosaic

The village is best known for the discovery of a Roman building of unknown type, possibly a villa or a church. On the floor of one room was laid a large 4th century mosaic depicting Bellerophon and the Chimera (illustrating good defeating evil) and a portrait bust of Christ. The bust of Christ is now on display in the British Museum. The rest is kept in storage.

Millennium Garden

The village has a community garden constructed by BBC "Charlies Garden Angels" with the host being Charlie Dimmock of the well known BBC programme, Ground Force. This garden was made during 1999, with the locals and nearby business' helping to create it. It is now known as the Millennium Garden as it was built to celebrate the new millennium.

Cut Mill

Cut mill is situated on the river Stour to the west of the village of Hinton St Mary. The mill was burned down in 2003 by vandals and has since remained off limits as the structure is now unsafe. There has as recently as February 2007 been discussions for the future of the mill. Some of the proposed ideas are to rebuild it, make holiday flats on the site or even use it to be a source of hydro-electric power.

External links

* [http://www1.dorsetcc.gov.uk/LIVING/FACTS/Census2001.nsf/6cadf4da179fc19500256663004afece/7ec753851a6efadc80256ec50041b62a?OpenDocument Census data]